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Bill + Phil – “Songs of Darkness and Despair” [EP] [Album Review]

Titled Songs of Darkness and Despair, this six-song EP is something far greater than a mere novelty act or vanity project from either individual.

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Most people recognize Bill Moseley for his acting roles in Rob Zombie’s The Devil’s Rejects and/or Tobe Hooper’s ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’. Few people know that Mr. Moseley has been dabbling in music for quite some time. He has previously released five albums with guitarist Buckethead (under the name Cornbugs) and most recently a full-length with his band Spider Mountain. It only makes sense for his next project to be a collaboration with Phil Anselmo, whose Housecore Horror Film Festival is entering its fourth year. Titled Songs of Darkness and Despair, this six-song EP is something far greater than a mere novelty act or vanity project from either individual.

The songs on this EP are all over the place, making it difficult to put the project into any category other than “experimental.” Not that any of the songs themselves are some kind of masturbatory art-rock, rather they are each individually unique. Certainly, six songs (one being 30-seconds long), isn’t much to draw on for generic classifications, but who cares? It’s in the Bill Moseley/Phil Anselmo genre. If you know who those dudes are you should know what you’re getting into.

The opening track, “Dirty Eye,” soars with huge guitars, a swampy Louisiana vibe, and some fairly impressive vocals by Moseley (I didn’t know he could sing-sing). Kevin Bond (Superjoint) adds some great lead work, but the only other rocker on this album is the late-era Black Flag-ish track “Catastrophic.” The remaining tracks on this EP each have their own vibe and all around “thing” going on. “Corpus Crispy,” sounds like it could have been on Tom Waits’ 1999 Mule Variations LP (with an added touch of darkness), while the semi-ballad “Tonight’s the Night We Die” offers sparse percussions, hallucinatory lyrics, and an overall spooky soundscape perfectly suited to a desolate evening drive.

The most surprising thing about this release is the absence of Anselmo’s vocals. As stated in recent press, Anselmo and Bond came up with the music to Moseley’s lyrics. If you’re expecting Phil’s trademark howl, you’ll be disappointed. But, if you appreciate his overall aesthetic you will certainly dig it. For the horror fans out there, it probably sounds closer to what you would expect from Moseley, in contrast to his previous musical output. Strange, haunting, and more interesting than I can make it sound, the twenty-some-odd minutes of music on this EP are certainly worth seeking out.

Songs of Darkness and Despair Track Listing:

01. Dirty Eye
02. Corpus Crispy
03. Catastrophic
04. Widder Woman
05. Tonight’s the Night We Die
06. Bad Donut

Run Time: 21:77
Release Date: January 20, 2017

Check out the song “Bad Donut”

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